Mass material can typically be conveyed on belt conveyors, which are usually made of rubber and are relatively thin. However, the belt must be sufficiently strong to ensure that it withstands the force it is subjected to by the drive mechanism of the belt and the tensile load caused by the mass conveyed on the belt. It is known that belts can be vulcanized and plastic fibre and/or steel threads added into the structure of the belts to reinforce them for increased strength.
Nevertheless, the belt must be resilient and sufficiently thin to allow for reliable and economical power transmission between the belt and the drum driving the belt. As such, a thin belt is preferred. A thin belt is not, however, stable in the lateral direction, and it is known that several situations can occur which may lead to the belt drifting laterally. Such situations may be caused, for example, by material being stuck on the belt or the roller, incorrect alignment of the rollers/drums or even a damaged roller. Such lateral drifting of the belt may cause the belt to be emptied of the material loaded on the belt. In addition, lateral edges of the belt may rub against the frame of the conveyor structure and thereafter become damaged. Since the conveyor belt is usually the most expensive component in a belt conveyor system, and the most essential one for the operation of the equipment, it is critical that every effort is made to prevent the conveyor belt from damage.
Conventionally, for the purpose of centering the conveyor belt, various guiding roller racks have been constructed, but they have been found somewhat operationally unreliable. A further problem with conventional guide rollers is that they involve insufficient guiding efficiency. It has also proved particularly problematic to construct a guide roller which functions properly in conveyor systems where the conveyor belt is driven in two directions.
It would therefore be advantageous to have an improved guide roller for centering conveyor belts.
It would be further advantageous to have an improved guide roller for centering conveyor belts that senses if the belt is out of a neutral position, where upon the guide roller restores the belt's return on the guide rollers to a neutral position. To this end, the present invention effectively addresses this need.